France’s hopes of a maiden title on home soil in 1938 were crushed by a quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Italy. Sixty years later, however, it was a different story. Skipper Didier Deschamps brandished the Trophy aloft after a resounding Final victory over Brazil in Paris.

Though laden with stars such as Deschamps, Marcel Desailly, Bixente Lizarazu and Zinedine Zidane, Les Bleus were under enormous pressure to perform at France 1998, with the national side having been absent from the FIFA World Cup™ since Mexico 1986. The lengthy wait was worth it for the nation, however. As Deschamps reflects in the above video: “You can’t win anything more beautiful than a World Cup.”

The above footage is part of FIFA’s archive of videos highlighting significant stories in FIFA World Cup history